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Thread: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12

Number of posts in this thread: 11 (In chronological order)

From: Bryan Garaventa
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:10PM
Subject: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
No previous message | Next message →

FYI

It appears that JAWS13 has introduced critical functionality issues regarding the use of ARIA, which worked correctly in JAWS12.

So here is a breakdown.

ARIA Tabs and Dropdown Menus: (Uses ARIA tab and menu attribute sets according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_tabs_menu_modules/demo.htm#
Regarding ARIA tabs
In JAWS12, tabs are announced in full when using the 'f' and shift+f hotkeys to jump between tabs on the page. (E.G. 'Tab Dialog')
In JAWS13, only "Tab" is announced, which is non-intuitive.
Regarding ARIA menus
In JAWS12, when the menu is opened, you can use the arrow keys to navigate properly since Applications Mode is enforced within the menu objects.
In JAWS13, Applications Mode is no longer enforced, so it is no longer possible to navigate ARIA menus properly.

Auto Suggest Search Field: (Uses ARIA role=dialog and list attribute sets according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/auto_suggestion_search_field_module/demo.htm
In JAWS12, when alt+downarrow is used to provide screen reader access to the search list, only the first item selected is announced as expected. (Type "u" then press alt+downarrow after the list appears to reproduce)
In JAWS13, all of the contents of the container element are announced instead of just the focused element.

ARIA Sortable Listbox: (Uses ARIA role=dialog, list, and grab/drop attribute sets according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_sortable_listbox_module/demo.htm
In JAWS12, After the Sort button is pressed, focus moves into the list box and the currently selected item is announced. Then you can arrow to the item you wish to grab, press the Spacebar, arrow to another item, and press the Spacebar again to drop the item in that location. (Only the currently selected item is announced)
In JAWS13, the entire content of the container element with role=dialog is announced every time the listbox is opened, and every time you press Spacebar to drop an item in another location.

It looks like JAWS13 is programmed to read all of the content of a container element with role=dialog every time an element receives focus within that container.

ARIA Calendar: (Uses a combination of role=dialog, role=link, and aria-label attributes according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_calendar_module/demo.htm
In JAWS12, when you activate the Advanced Calendar link, focus is set on the current date which is announced as expected. Pressing the Spacebar will open the Comments dialog, where focus is set on the text field and the label is automatically announced also as expected. You can then tab between the available buttons where each focused element is announced. (Only the label for the currently selected item is announced)
In JAWS13, as soon as focus is moved to the first selected date, all of the calendar content is announced starting from where role=dialog is used within the parent container element. The same behavior occurs when Spacebar is pressed to open the Comments dialog, as well as every time tab is used to move between the buttons within the Comments dialog.
This is the same issue as previously described regarding the behavior of role=dialog.

ARIA Wizard and Carousel: () (Uses ARIA role=status, aria-live, role=dialog, and aria-labelledby according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/carousel_from_xml_module/demo.htm
Regarding the carousel
In JAWS12, The announcement of text using role=status and aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable when using the accesskeys to switch between carousel slides. (E.G. alt+1 and alt+2 in IE)
In JAWS13, text announcement does not occur as regularly.
Regarding the XML Wizard
In JAWS12, focus is set on the first form field of the wizard after the Generate button is pressed, where tab can be used to cycle between available form fields. (Only the label for the currently selected form field is announced)
In JAWS13 however, the entire content of the dialog is announced before the label of the first form field that gains focus, starting with the parent container element that includes role=dialog.

Accessible Lightbox, Banner, Tooltip, and Popup: (Uses ARIA role=status and aria-live according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/standard_dynamic_control_templates/demo.htm
In JAWS12, the announcement of text using role=status and aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable.
In JAWS13, sometimes text that should be announced using role=status and aria-live=assertive, is not.

This was verified using the latest public releases of JAWS12 and 13 using IE8 on Win XP Pro SP3. If you would like to add IE9 and Win7 testing results to this for comparison, please do.

From: Don Mauck
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:16PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

Has FreedomScientific been notified of this?

From: Bryan Garaventa
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:28PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

Soon they will be.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Mauck" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
To: "WebAIM Discussion List" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Cc: < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 12:16 PM
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously
worked in JAWS12

> Has FreedomScientific been notified of this?
>

From: Sailesh Panchang
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:33PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

Bryan,
I note your testing was on IE8 on a WinXP machine.
On Xp one cannot install IE9.
So there may be more factors at play here and there may be user agent
and OS related limitations. Perhaps one should simply stick to JAWS
12 on an Windows XP with IE8?
One needs to run these tests on Windows 7 too with IE 9.
Sailesh

On 5/11/12, Bryan Garaventa < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> FYI
>
> It appears that JAWS13 has introduced critical functionality issues
> regarding the use of ARIA, which worked correctly in JAWS12.
>
> So here is a breakdown.
>
> ARIA Tabs and Dropdown Menus: (Uses ARIA tab and menu attribute sets
> according to spec)
> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_tabs_menu_modules/demo.htm#
> Regarding ARIA tabs
> In JAWS12, tabs are announced in full when using the 'f' and shift+f hotkeys
> to jump between tabs on the page. (E.G. 'Tab Dialog')
> In JAWS13, only "Tab" is announced, which is non-intuitive.
> Regarding ARIA menus
> In JAWS12, when the menu is opened, you can use the arrow keys to navigate
> properly since Applications Mode is enforced within the menu objects.
> In JAWS13, Applications Mode is no longer enforced, so it is no longer
> possible to navigate ARIA menus properly.
>
> Auto Suggest Search Field: (Uses ARIA role=dialog and list attribute sets
> according to spec)
> http://whatsock.com/modules/auto_suggestion_search_field_module/demo.htm
> In JAWS12, when alt+downarrow is used to provide screen reader access to the
> search list, only the first item selected is announced as expected. (Type
> "u" then press alt+downarrow after the list appears to reproduce)
> In JAWS13, all of the contents of the container element are announced
> instead of just the focused element.
>
> ARIA Sortable Listbox: (Uses ARIA role=dialog, list, and grab/drop attribute
> sets according to spec)
> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_sortable_listbox_module/demo.htm
> In JAWS12, After the Sort button is pressed, focus moves into the list box
> and the currently selected item is announced. Then you can arrow to the item
> you wish to grab, press the Spacebar, arrow to another item, and press the
> Spacebar again to drop the item in that location. (Only the currently
> selected item is announced)
> In JAWS13, the entire content of the container element with role=dialog is
> announced every time the listbox is opened, and every time you press
> Spacebar to drop an item in another location.
>
> It looks like JAWS13 is programmed to read all of the content of a container
> element with role=dialog every time an element receives focus within that
> container.
>
> ARIA Calendar: (Uses a combination of role=dialog, role=link, and aria-label
> attributes according to spec)
> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_calendar_module/demo.htm
> In JAWS12, when you activate the Advanced Calendar link, focus is set on the
> current date which is announced as expected. Pressing the Spacebar will open
> the Comments dialog, where focus is set on the text field and the label is
> automatically announced also as expected. You can then tab between the
> available buttons where each focused element is announced. (Only the label
> for the currently selected item is announced)
> In JAWS13, as soon as focus is moved to the first selected date, all of the
> calendar content is announced starting from where role=dialog is used within
> the parent container element. The same behavior occurs when Spacebar is
> pressed to open the Comments dialog, as well as every time tab is used to
> move between the buttons within the Comments dialog.
> This is the same issue as previously described regarding the behavior of
> role=dialog.
>
> ARIA Wizard and Carousel: () (Uses ARIA role=status, aria-live, role=dialog,
> and aria-labelledby according to spec)
> http://whatsock.com/modules/carousel_from_xml_module/demo.htm
> Regarding the carousel
> In JAWS12, The announcement of text using role=status and
> aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable when using the accesskeys to
> switch between carousel slides. (E.G. alt+1 and alt+2 in IE)
> In JAWS13, text announcement does not occur as regularly.
> Regarding the XML Wizard
> In JAWS12, focus is set on the first form field of the wizard after the
> Generate button is pressed, where tab can be used to cycle between available
> form fields. (Only the label for the currently selected form field is
> announced)
> In JAWS13 however, the entire content of the dialog is announced before the
> label of the first form field that gains focus, starting with the parent
> container element that includes role=dialog.
>
> Accessible Lightbox, Banner, Tooltip, and Popup: (Uses ARIA role=status and
> aria-live according to spec)
> http://whatsock.com/modules/standard_dynamic_control_templates/demo.htm
> In JAWS12, the announcement of text using role=status and
> aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable.
> In JAWS13, sometimes text that should be announced using role=status and
> aria-live=assertive, is not.
>
> This was verified using the latest public releases of JAWS12 and 13 using
> IE8 on Win XP Pro SP3. If you would like to add IE9 and Win7 testing results
> to this for comparison, please do.
> > > >

From: Bryan Garaventa
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:42PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

That would be quite an assumption for FS to make, that no screen reader
users who have JAWS13 should be using XP.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sailesh Panchang" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
To: "WebAIM Discussion List" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously
worked in JAWS12

> Bryan,
> I note your testing was on IE8 on a WinXP machine.
> On Xp one cannot install IE9.
> So there may be more factors at play here and there may be user agent
> and OS related limitations. Perhaps one should simply stick to JAWS
> 12 on an Windows XP with IE8?
> One needs to run these tests on Windows 7 too with IE 9.
> Sailesh
>
>
>
> On 5/11/12, Bryan Garaventa < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>> FYI
>>
>> It appears that JAWS13 has introduced critical functionality issues
>> regarding the use of ARIA, which worked correctly in JAWS12.
>>
>> So here is a breakdown.
>>
>> ARIA Tabs and Dropdown Menus: (Uses ARIA tab and menu attribute sets
>> according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_tabs_menu_modules/demo.htm#
>> Regarding ARIA tabs
>> In JAWS12, tabs are announced in full when using the 'f' and shift+f
>> hotkeys
>> to jump between tabs on the page. (E.G. 'Tab Dialog')
>> In JAWS13, only "Tab" is announced, which is non-intuitive.
>> Regarding ARIA menus
>> In JAWS12, when the menu is opened, you can use the arrow keys to
>> navigate
>> properly since Applications Mode is enforced within the menu objects.
>> In JAWS13, Applications Mode is no longer enforced, so it is no longer
>> possible to navigate ARIA menus properly.
>>
>> Auto Suggest Search Field: (Uses ARIA role=dialog and list attribute sets
>> according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/auto_suggestion_search_field_module/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, when alt+downarrow is used to provide screen reader access to
>> the
>> search list, only the first item selected is announced as expected. (Type
>> "u" then press alt+downarrow after the list appears to reproduce)
>> In JAWS13, all of the contents of the container element are announced
>> instead of just the focused element.
>>
>> ARIA Sortable Listbox: (Uses ARIA role=dialog, list, and grab/drop
>> attribute
>> sets according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_sortable_listbox_module/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, After the Sort button is pressed, focus moves into the list
>> box
>> and the currently selected item is announced. Then you can arrow to the
>> item
>> you wish to grab, press the Spacebar, arrow to another item, and press
>> the
>> Spacebar again to drop the item in that location. (Only the currently
>> selected item is announced)
>> In JAWS13, the entire content of the container element with role=dialog
>> is
>> announced every time the listbox is opened, and every time you press
>> Spacebar to drop an item in another location.
>>
>> It looks like JAWS13 is programmed to read all of the content of a
>> container
>> element with role=dialog every time an element receives focus within that
>> container.
>>
>> ARIA Calendar: (Uses a combination of role=dialog, role=link, and
>> aria-label
>> attributes according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_calendar_module/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, when you activate the Advanced Calendar link, focus is set on
>> the
>> current date which is announced as expected. Pressing the Spacebar will
>> open
>> the Comments dialog, where focus is set on the text field and the label
>> is
>> automatically announced also as expected. You can then tab between the
>> available buttons where each focused element is announced. (Only the
>> label
>> for the currently selected item is announced)
>> In JAWS13, as soon as focus is moved to the first selected date, all of
>> the
>> calendar content is announced starting from where role=dialog is used
>> within
>> the parent container element. The same behavior occurs when Spacebar is
>> pressed to open the Comments dialog, as well as every time tab is used to
>> move between the buttons within the Comments dialog.
>> This is the same issue as previously described regarding the behavior of
>> role=dialog.
>>
>> ARIA Wizard and Carousel: () (Uses ARIA role=status, aria-live,
>> role=dialog,
>> and aria-labelledby according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/carousel_from_xml_module/demo.htm
>> Regarding the carousel
>> In JAWS12, The announcement of text using role=status and
>> aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable when using the accesskeys
>> to
>> switch between carousel slides. (E.G. alt+1 and alt+2 in IE)
>> In JAWS13, text announcement does not occur as regularly.
>> Regarding the XML Wizard
>> In JAWS12, focus is set on the first form field of the wizard after the
>> Generate button is pressed, where tab can be used to cycle between
>> available
>> form fields. (Only the label for the currently selected form field is
>> announced)
>> In JAWS13 however, the entire content of the dialog is announced before
>> the
>> label of the first form field that gains focus, starting with the parent
>> container element that includes role=dialog.
>>
>> Accessible Lightbox, Banner, Tooltip, and Popup: (Uses ARIA role=status
>> and
>> aria-live according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/standard_dynamic_control_templates/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, the announcement of text using role=status and
>> aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable.
>> In JAWS13, sometimes text that should be announced using role=status and
>> aria-live=assertive, is not.
>>
>> This was verified using the latest public releases of JAWS12 and 13 using
>> IE8 on Win XP Pro SP3. If you would like to add IE9 and Win7 testing
>> results
>> to this for comparison, please do.
>> >> >> >>
> > >

From: Don Mauck
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:42PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

How about testing with Fire fox as it supports aria better anyway.

From: Bryan Garaventa
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 1:44PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

NVDA actually works better in FF than JAWS does.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Mauck" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
To: "WebAIM Discussion List" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously
worked in JAWS12

> How about testing with Fire fox as it supports aria better anyway.
>

From: Léonie Watson
Date: Fri, May 11 2012 2:07PM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

Don Mauck asked:
"Has FreedomScientific been notified of this?"

I've just forwarded Brian's email to FS via their beta testing list.

Léonie.

From: Bryan Garaventa
Date: Sun, May 13 2012 12:18AM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

Just to follow up briefly, I had a chance to run the same tests on a 64bt
Win7 machine running IE9, and there were some slight differences.

The use of role=menu appears to work correctly so that Applications Mode is
preserved when using the arrow keys to navigate, as would be expected;
so this works in IE9 on Win7, but not in IE8 on XP.

All of the other issues remain the same however.

E.G.
Tabs are still only identified as "Tab" when using 'f' and shift+f to
navigate between fields,
and within the Listbox and Calendar widgets, the full content of the
container element is announced when focus is set to an active element, such
as when Sort is pressed to open the Listbox and Space is used to move the
items around, and when Space is used to open the Comments dialog from within
the Advanced Calendar picker.

So the remaining issues are the lack of consistency regarding ARIA menu
support between Win7 and XP users, the unfortunate change in the
functionality of role=dialog, and the lack of textual equivalents for ARIA
tab controls.

I hope I'm not missing too many others.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sailesh Panchang" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
To: "WebAIM Discussion List" < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2012 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously
worked in JAWS12

> Bryan,
> I note your testing was on IE8 on a WinXP machine.
> On Xp one cannot install IE9.
> So there may be more factors at play here and there may be user agent
> and OS related limitations. Perhaps one should simply stick to JAWS
> 12 on an Windows XP with IE8?
> One needs to run these tests on Windows 7 too with IE 9.
> Sailesh
>
>
>
> On 5/11/12, Bryan Garaventa < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>> FYI
>>
>> It appears that JAWS13 has introduced critical functionality issues
>> regarding the use of ARIA, which worked correctly in JAWS12.
>>
>> So here is a breakdown.
>>
>> ARIA Tabs and Dropdown Menus: (Uses ARIA tab and menu attribute sets
>> according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_tabs_menu_modules/demo.htm#
>> Regarding ARIA tabs
>> In JAWS12, tabs are announced in full when using the 'f' and shift+f
>> hotkeys
>> to jump between tabs on the page. (E.G. 'Tab Dialog')
>> In JAWS13, only "Tab" is announced, which is non-intuitive.
>> Regarding ARIA menus
>> In JAWS12, when the menu is opened, you can use the arrow keys to
>> navigate
>> properly since Applications Mode is enforced within the menu objects.
>> In JAWS13, Applications Mode is no longer enforced, so it is no longer
>> possible to navigate ARIA menus properly.
>>
>> Auto Suggest Search Field: (Uses ARIA role=dialog and list attribute sets
>> according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/auto_suggestion_search_field_module/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, when alt+downarrow is used to provide screen reader access to
>> the
>> search list, only the first item selected is announced as expected. (Type
>> "u" then press alt+downarrow after the list appears to reproduce)
>> In JAWS13, all of the contents of the container element are announced
>> instead of just the focused element.
>>
>> ARIA Sortable Listbox: (Uses ARIA role=dialog, list, and grab/drop
>> attribute
>> sets according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_sortable_listbox_module/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, After the Sort button is pressed, focus moves into the list
>> box
>> and the currently selected item is announced. Then you can arrow to the
>> item
>> you wish to grab, press the Spacebar, arrow to another item, and press
>> the
>> Spacebar again to drop the item in that location. (Only the currently
>> selected item is announced)
>> In JAWS13, the entire content of the container element with role=dialog
>> is
>> announced every time the listbox is opened, and every time you press
>> Spacebar to drop an item in another location.
>>
>> It looks like JAWS13 is programmed to read all of the content of a
>> container
>> element with role=dialog every time an element receives focus within that
>> container.
>>
>> ARIA Calendar: (Uses a combination of role=dialog, role=link, and
>> aria-label
>> attributes according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_calendar_module/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, when you activate the Advanced Calendar link, focus is set on
>> the
>> current date which is announced as expected. Pressing the Spacebar will
>> open
>> the Comments dialog, where focus is set on the text field and the label
>> is
>> automatically announced also as expected. You can then tab between the
>> available buttons where each focused element is announced. (Only the
>> label
>> for the currently selected item is announced)
>> In JAWS13, as soon as focus is moved to the first selected date, all of
>> the
>> calendar content is announced starting from where role=dialog is used
>> within
>> the parent container element. The same behavior occurs when Spacebar is
>> pressed to open the Comments dialog, as well as every time tab is used to
>> move between the buttons within the Comments dialog.
>> This is the same issue as previously described regarding the behavior of
>> role=dialog.
>>
>> ARIA Wizard and Carousel: () (Uses ARIA role=status, aria-live,
>> role=dialog,
>> and aria-labelledby according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/carousel_from_xml_module/demo.htm
>> Regarding the carousel
>> In JAWS12, The announcement of text using role=status and
>> aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable when using the accesskeys
>> to
>> switch between carousel slides. (E.G. alt+1 and alt+2 in IE)
>> In JAWS13, text announcement does not occur as regularly.
>> Regarding the XML Wizard
>> In JAWS12, focus is set on the first form field of the wizard after the
>> Generate button is pressed, where tab can be used to cycle between
>> available
>> form fields. (Only the label for the currently selected form field is
>> announced)
>> In JAWS13 however, the entire content of the dialog is announced before
>> the
>> label of the first form field that gains focus, starting with the parent
>> container element that includes role=dialog.
>>
>> Accessible Lightbox, Banner, Tooltip, and Popup: (Uses ARIA role=status
>> and
>> aria-live according to spec)
>> http://whatsock.com/modules/standard_dynamic_control_templates/demo.htm
>> In JAWS12, the announcement of text using role=status and
>> aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable.
>> In JAWS13, sometimes text that should be announced using role=status and
>> aria-live=assertive, is not.
>>
>> This was verified using the latest public releases of JAWS12 and 13 using
>> IE8 on Win XP Pro SP3. If you would like to add IE9 and Win7 testing
>> results
>> to this for comparison, please do.
>> >> >> >>
> > >

From: Don Mauck
Date: Mon, May 14 2012 10:55AM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | Next message →

Ok, then I won't bother doing that, although I haven't seen in on that list and I am a BETA tester.

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Mon, May 14 2012 11:34AM
Subject: Re: JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12
← Previous message | No next message

Wow, thanks for alerting all of us to this Bryan.
I had noticed some inconsistent behavior with Jaws 13 and aria, but
had not sit down to systematically test it. Glad you had the time,
energy and expertese to do so.
Hope FS will respond quicker to beta testers than to non-beta testers
reporting issues.
Of course software development is time consuming, but it would be nice
to know if they are working on a fix for this or not.
Cheers
-B

On 5/14/12, Don Mauck < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> Ok, then I won't bother doing that, although I haven't seen in on that list
> and I am a BETA tester.
>